Wonderful post and lessons for seeing. The step of looking without judging (good/bad/etc.) feels so useful. Both my daughters are artists, and though they'll talk at length about an artwork they see (as in, look at the way Sargent just threw the paint on the canvas right there), they don't judge, at least as far as I know.
I'm very glad to have found your thoughtful and inspiring newsletter, Sal, and look forward to reading all the posts. I've been looking around Substack for original and unique responses to artworks to help me develop my ideas for the publication I'm planning to create and, although it'll be nothing like yours, it has helped me enormously to read your work and see the warm, intelligent responses it is eliciting. To really look at works of art in this world of fractured attention and superficiality is a radical, valuable act. Thank you.
Reading through, my mind drifted toward yoga and other meditative practices just as you introduced this in your writing. It takes practice to approach anything with a judgement-free mind--we are so conditioned toward opinion! I can think myself settled into openness only to discover that I am, instead, categorizing, segmenting, walling in or out. Thank you for this piece - and nice to meet you! :)
Yes, it definitely takes practice! But I also think we don’t have to do it perfectly to have an interesting result. Even the discovery of how hard it is to suspend judgment is itself interesting.
I love this, Sal. It resonates perfectly with the way I want to read literature with the personal responsiveness of "enchantment" rather than the customary practices of judgment and critique that have become common in my area of education. I look forward to more of your "Ways of Seeing"! :-)
I love using art as oracle -- most of my own intuitive paintings feel oracular (in fact, my first Substack post was about art as oracle), but I haven’t really tried this too often with other artists’ paintings. I think I will give this way of seeing a painting a try over the weekend.
I really enjoyed this. Loved the suggestion of taking "a break midway, to leave and return refreshed." I revisit favourite galleries/ paintings when I travel over and over again and each time I come away with a new perspective or learning from the piece. Also, I smiled when I saw the Marina Abramovic reference - was that the "The Artist is Present" at MOMA? I just wrote that installation into a spec tv script.
I really enjoyed this. Loved the suggestion of taking "a break midway, to leave and return refreshed." I revisit favourite galleries/ paintings when I travel over and over again and each time I come away with a new perspective or learning from the piece. Also, I smiled when I saw the Marina Abramovic reference - was that the "The Artist is Present" at MOMA? I just wrote that installation into a spec tv script.
Wonderful post and lessons for seeing. The step of looking without judging (good/bad/etc.) feels so useful. Both my daughters are artists, and though they'll talk at length about an artwork they see (as in, look at the way Sargent just threw the paint on the canvas right there), they don't judge, at least as far as I know.
Thank you, Sarah! I’m looking forward to reading your post on Sargent.
I'm very glad to have found your thoughtful and inspiring newsletter, Sal, and look forward to reading all the posts. I've been looking around Substack for original and unique responses to artworks to help me develop my ideas for the publication I'm planning to create and, although it'll be nothing like yours, it has helped me enormously to read your work and see the warm, intelligent responses it is eliciting. To really look at works of art in this world of fractured attention and superficiality is a radical, valuable act. Thank you.
Thank you Kathy! That’s wonderful to hear. Glad to have you in the conversation.
Reading through, my mind drifted toward yoga and other meditative practices just as you introduced this in your writing. It takes practice to approach anything with a judgement-free mind--we are so conditioned toward opinion! I can think myself settled into openness only to discover that I am, instead, categorizing, segmenting, walling in or out. Thank you for this piece - and nice to meet you! :)
Yes, it definitely takes practice! But I also think we don’t have to do it perfectly to have an interesting result. Even the discovery of how hard it is to suspend judgment is itself interesting.
& Yes, a pleasure to meet you.
I love this, Sal. It resonates perfectly with the way I want to read literature with the personal responsiveness of "enchantment" rather than the customary practices of judgment and critique that have become common in my area of education. I look forward to more of your "Ways of Seeing"! :-)
Thank you! And thank you for making connections with Peacelinks: https://peacelinks.substack.com/p/suspending-judgment
My pleasure. :-)
I love using art as oracle -- most of my own intuitive paintings feel oracular (in fact, my first Substack post was about art as oracle), but I haven’t really tried this too often with other artists’ paintings. I think I will give this way of seeing a painting a try over the weekend.
Thanks for this! Will you offer a link to the post you mentioned? I’d love to read it.
Here it is: https://shinjinim.substack.com/p/key-to-the-self-painting-as-oracle :-) I’d love to know what you think.
I really enjoyed the intimacy of hearing about your process in the studio and how your painting found its form.
I’m glad to hear that, thank you!
I really enjoyed this. Loved the suggestion of taking "a break midway, to leave and return refreshed." I revisit favourite galleries/ paintings when I travel over and over again and each time I come away with a new perspective or learning from the piece. Also, I smiled when I saw the Marina Abramovic reference - was that the "The Artist is Present" at MOMA? I just wrote that installation into a spec tv script.
I really enjoyed this. Loved the suggestion of taking "a break midway, to leave and return refreshed." I revisit favourite galleries/ paintings when I travel over and over again and each time I come away with a new perspective or learning from the piece. Also, I smiled when I saw the Marina Abramovic reference - was that the "The Artist is Present" at MOMA? I just wrote that installation into a spec tv script.